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Brown Bag Lunch Ideas For Kids and Adults

Even if healthy eating is a priority for you, it’s easy to mess up if you buy lunch out. A typical deli sandwich is way too big and loaded with fat. A bag of chips is likely to have unhealthy hydrogenated fats and lots of calories. Soft drinks have no real nutritional value and far too much sugar. School lunches aren’t always so great either. The quality varies greatly from day to day and school system to school system.

It’s a great idea to take lunch to work or school at least several times a week. It gives you control over the kind fat and calories you’re getting, and it’s usually less expensive. The sandwich ideas listed here should keep you from getting bored with the brown bag scene. (All on whole grain bread, of course.)

Make tuna more interesting. Low-fat cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise is a good way to cut back on calories and fat. Chopped apples and grated carrots added to it help you with your daily fruit and vegetable intake. If you like the taste of curry, add a little curry powder. 

Sweeten up peanut butter sandwiches. Sliced bananas are a great addition to a peanut butter sandwich. Or instead of banana, add apple and a little cinnamon.

Liven up chicken salad. Add apple, pineapple, and a mixture of mayonnaise and yogurt seasoned with curry powder to chopped chicken. If you want to make a sandwich out of it, take pita bread with you and fill it with the salad just before eating.

Make a meal of hard boiled eggs. Slice the eggs, and spread whole grain bread with a little mayonnaise and some spicy mustard. Add lettuce or chopped watercress.

Source:
J. Brody. Jane Brody’s Good Food Book. A Bantam Book, New York, New York. 1987.